Controlling means for wind musical instruments



Nov: 4,1924. v 1,513,950. C. O. WIDMAYER CONTROLLING MEANS FOR WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Fild Nov. 1, 1920 Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES O. WIDMAYEB', OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Application filed November 1, 1920. Serial No. 420,971.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. 11)- MAYER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan, have iiivented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Means for \Vind Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in wind musical instruments, and more particularly to instruments having the characteristics of the trumpet type wherein the wind is introduced into the cavity of a cup-shaped member or mouth-piece with the cavity forming the entrance to the tone-producing portion of the instrument.

While the invention is designed for and capable of use in connection with different forms of wind musical instruments, I have shown it as used in connection with the mouth-piece of an instrument of the trumpet type, as for instance, a comet, or other brass instrument, as used by bands. In such instruments the open end of the cavity is closed by the lips of the performer, the rim of the mouth-piece being pressed against portions of the lips of the performer spaced from the meeting lineon the vertical axis of the niouth-piecetlie contact being circular and crossing the lip meeting line on the horizontal axis of the mouth-piece.

The mouth-piece is held in position with a pressure on the lips and this sets up condition of fatigue of the lip, it being the practice to increase the pressure during the rendition of the higher tones to seemingly brace the tension of the lips to permit a better formation of the lip opening through which the wind passes from the mouth of the performer, such opening generally changing in -t'orm to produce the changes in tone.

In an earlier disclosure-Patent No. 1,358,297, September 21, 1920-1 have shown one general way in which this fatigue can be reduced by the use of a vibratory element positioned within the cavity of the mouthpiece with ,a free end adapted to be passed between the lips, the member being of a general form such as to tend to divide the cavity into zones, the width of the member approaching the diameter of the cavity. This width tends to increase the length of the lip opening and while it is efiicient in operation, the vibratory action with the higher tones may be more or less aifected by the length of opening required to accommodate the member, the latter carrying an enlarged portion to be located within the lips-and which may be connected to a portion temporarily placed in position over a toot-hfor the purpose of ensuring retention of the inner end of the member within the lips.

The present invention is designed as an improvement on the disclosure of the patent in that it not only obtains the etficiency of the lower register of the prior structures but also of the higher register, this result being obtained by the use generally of a vibrating instrumentality and a wind-directing instru mentality, the latter being held in suitable position as by the teeth and serving to direct the wind positively toward the discharge end of the cavity through the lipopening, the vibratory instrumentality being located in the path of travel of the wind from the directing instrumentality. As a result, the vibratory instrumentality may be of decreased width, enabling the length of the lip-opening to be more readily varied and the proper conditions brought about to produce the; desired tonal qualities.

The invention may take on diflierent forms and may, if desired present a pair of vibratory members as the instrumentality.

To these and other ends, therefore, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter more fully described, said invention consists in the improved constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views,-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the invention as applied to a mouth-piece, the view illustrating the general position relative to the lips of a performer.

Fig.2 is a similar view showing a different embodiment of the invention.

Fig. .3 is a View, partly in section and partly in elevation showing another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the invention with two vibratory members in the vibrating instrument (y Figs. .5, -16 7 are perspective view showing various forms in which the invention may be produced as an attachment for the ordinary mouth-piece.

The invention consists generally in a wind-directing instrumentality a and a vibratory instrumentality Z), these being connected together in any suitable manner. The wind-directing instrumentality is preferably tubular in form and more or less collapsible to change the contour of its internal crosssection when gripped by the teeth; for this reason a simple resilient material such as metal or rubber tubing may be employed, the tube being held from complete collapsing in presence of pressure by the teeth by the use of a suitable means such, for instance as a spring (4'. Obviously, the tubular portion may be varied from that of the usual rubber tube formation, as for instance, shown in each of the figures excepting Fig. 2, the latter omitting the annular rim (4 for purposes of illustration of the use of simple tubing. The variation is shown in the form of an annular rim portion a which may, if desired, be interrupted in the direction of its length, and which may be spaced from the outer end of the tubular portion or extend to such end as in Fig. 1, this portion being located between the teeth and the lips when in position. And, as shown in Figs. 1 and v 6, the forward end of the tube may have its upper portion project forwardly through the opening of the lips; and where the vibratory instrumentality includes the two vibratory members, as in Fig. i, the lower portion may also projectforward.

The vibratory instrumentality is in the form of a single or two leaf-like members (as in Fig. 4), the member being of suitable material capable of being vibrated by the movement of the wind issuing from the directing instrumentality. The leaf has its inner end secured to instrumentality a in any suitable manner, and projects forward- 1y a distance to enterthe cavity 0' of the mouth-piece o, reaching into the inner end of the cavityand secured therein or resting in contact with the cavity walls as shown in the drawings. For instance, the forward end may be secured to the mouthpiece by a pin 0 as in Fig. 1, in which case the end of the leaf is curved to provide for freedom of action both longitudinally and transversely; or the leaf end may be left free and a separate holding action obtained as in Fig. 3 in which a member (if is supported on an axis provided by pins d, member (Z carrying a portion of a member 0Z one end of which is forked and secured to the wind-directing instrumentality, the opposite end passing through member d, a spring d being operatively mounted to tend the parts in an outward position. As will be understood, the form of Fig. 3permits more or less adjustment of the mouth-piece relative to the lips, member (Z having asomewhatpivotal mounting to permit rocking of member (Z while the latter is also slidable in the direction of length of the member (Z so that the mouthpiece can be shifted as may be desired; in this case the forward end of the leaf is not secured, simply resting on the bottom wall of the cavity, as for instance is shown in Fig. 4-.

However, it is preferred that the vibratory instrumentality, whether of the one or the two-leaf form, have its forward or outer end free from direct connection with the wall of the mouth-piece cavity, such end portion, however, being adapted to rest on such wall, especially when no wind is being directed on to it. This may be provided by the use of aunit, such for instance as shown in Fig. 5, held by the teeth in such way that when the mouthpiece is brought into position, the end portion of the vibratory inst-rumentality will be in contact with the cavity wall. Or, if desired, the arrangement of Figs. 2 and 7 may be employed, in which a pair of arms a of small cross-section pro jeot forwardly from the member a a distance suflicient to enter the tubular outlet of the cavity, these arms extending into the outlet and frictionally engaging its walls, thus locating the unit with respect to the mouth-piece but in a manner to permit longitudinal movement to accommodate for adjustment of the mouth-piece.-

And, if desired, the leaf may be some.- what offset, as at Z3 in Figs. 2 and 7, the offset portion extending in rear of the upper lip and tending to form a support therefor, as shown in Fig. 2. i

While the form shown in Fig. 4: may be employed by a performer using the lips, this arrangement is designed more particularly for use in connection with mechanical structures, as for instance the pipes of an organ, an installation in which but a single tone is produced by the pipe and hence there is not required the variation in lip contour and teziibility such as is required where the instrument is of the brass type in which a plurality of tones can be produced by the performer with the same mouth-piece. In 1 such latter use, I prefer to employ the one leaf formation, since this retains the ability to utilize the lower lip to provide the variations, the leaf functioning somewhat as an artifical upper lip.

As will be understood, the flexibility of the wind-directing instrumentality not only permits of a change in the contour of the discharge opening of the instrumentality, but owing to its location between the teeth, it permits the latter to aid in setting up the desired conditions within the mounth-piece, since the teeth can thus set up conditions which will enable the lips (the lowerlip and the artificial upperlip) toproduce the proper effect in the production of the tone, thus taking part of the strain from the human lips.

Obviously, both inst-rtunentalities can take on different forms, and the invention is not limited to any special form, several being shown in the drawings as illustrative forms. Variations may be required or desired to meet different conditions, and it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make any and all such changes or modifications therein as may be found desirable or essential, in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims when broadly construed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In musical instruments having characteristics of the trumpet type, wherein the wind is introduced into the cavity of a cupshaped member or mouth-piece with the cavity forming the entrance to the tone-producing portion of the instrument, means for controlling the introduction of the wind to such tone-producing portion, said means comprising a vibratory means extending within the cavity, and atubular Wind-directing instrumentality external of the cavity and operatively secured to said means, said vibratory means and said instrumentality being relatively positioned to cause wind directed through the instrumentality to set up activity of the vibratory means within the cavity.

2. Controlling means of the type of claim 1 characterized in that the wind-directing instrumentality is in the form of a compressible tubular element.

3. Controlling means of the type of claim 1 characterized in that the wind-directing instrumentality is in the form of a tubular member insertible between the teeth of the performer and capable of changing the contour of its discharge outlet under pressure of the teeth.

4-. Controlling means of the type of claim 1 characterized in that the wind-directing instrumentality is of tubular form and of elastic characteristic, and means Within the tube tending to prevent total collapse of the tube in use.

5. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the wind-directing instrumentality is in the form of a tubular member insertible between the teeth of the performer, and capable of changing the contour of its discharge outlet under pressure of the teeth, said member carrying a rim positioned to extend between the lips and teeth when the means is in position.

6. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the wind-directing instrumentality carries means adapted to position the controllingmeans relative to the bore of the mouth-piece.

7. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the vibratory means is in leaf form with a leaf end-portion adapted to contact with a wall of the cavity.

8. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the vibratory means comprises a member of leaf form having one end secured to the wind-directing instrumentality and its opposite end portion adapted to contact with the cavity wall.

9. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the vibratory means comprises a member of leaf form having one of its ends connected to the wind-directing instrumentality and its opposite end portion adapted to contact with but free from connection with the cavity Wall.

10. Controlling means as in claim 1 characterized in that the vibratory means comprises a member of leaf form having one end connected to the wind-directing instrumentality with its opposite end adapted to contact with the cavity wall, said leaf having an offset intermediate its ends adapted to extend between the upper lip and teeth of the performer.

11. As a means for controlling the introduction of the wind to musical instruments having the characteristics of the trumpet type, a unit comprising a vibratory instrumentality adapted to extend into the cavity entrance to the tone-producing portion of the instrument, and a wind-directing instrumentality positioned at and connected to the opposite end of the vibratory instrumentality, said instrumentalities being relatively positioned to cause wind issuing from the directing instrumentality to set up activity of the vibratory instrumentality within such cavity.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. IVIDHAYjR.

Witnesses:

ANNA M. Donn. KARL H. BUTLER. 

